The Three Pillars of Sustainability

We take the environmental aspect of sustainability very seriously. It's why we were the first community in Utah where every home is Energy Star certified. It's why our Guest Builders participate in a rigorous program that has recycled well over half of Daybreak's construction waste. It's why Daybreak Elementary and the Daybreak Community Center were among the very first buildings in the state to receive LEED™ Silver Certification.

And it's why we've gone above and beyond to ensure that the soil and water here are entirely suitable for residential development:

• Soil Clean Up. A small portion of the Daybreak development, about 13 percent, is built on the former site of the Kennecott Utah Copper South Jordan Evaporation Ponds. The evaporation ponds were used in conjunction with mining operations in Bingham Canyon until the late 1980s. The sediment from the ponds contained elevated levels of heavy metals. So, in 1994 Kennecott Utah Copper began the job of removing the sediment. Some of the sediment was consolidated, left in place and capped. When Kennecott Land decided to build the Daybreak community, a plan was put in place to remove the consolidated, capped sediments and in 2006 Kennecott Land, the EPA and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) entered into an agreement solidifying the unrestricted residential and commercial use clean up standards for the entire site. In early 2007 the consolidated pond sediment removal project was completed.
• Water facts. Like most residents in the southwest valley, Daybreak residents get their household water from the Jordan Valley Water conservancy District. And as with water utilities around the country, the quality of this water is consistently monitored. More than 300 feet below the southwest valley (South Jordan, West Jordan Riverton and Herriman) is a plume of groundwater that was affected by early mining operations in the Oquirrh Mountains. The water contains higher than normal levels of sulfate. The presence of the groundwater plume does not constitute a health or safety risk or concern to individuals who live, work, or recreate at Daybreak. However, Kennecott Utah Copper is working with UDEQ and the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District on a 40 year groundwater treatment project. At the end of this period the size of the plume will have decreased substantially.

This is the kind of work that has made Kennecott Land the only land development company in the U.S. with an environmental management system certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). But we're just as focused on economic and social sustainability. In other words, we think a community should support economic prosperity for individuals and businesses and create a safe environment with lots of neighborly interaction.

These three pillars of sustainability — environmental, social and economic — work together to build a community that is not only more enduring, but more interesting, colorful and enjoyable. Here are a few examples:

• Front porches. They make a home beautiful. They bring neighbors together. And they make the neighborhood safer by "putting eyes on the street."
• Neighborhood shops and businesses. You'll discover, if you haven't already, that the plan for Daybreak includes Village Centers with offices, shops and restaurants. This lets businesses locate near prospective customers and employees — an obvious economic advantage. On the flip side, it lets people live near their workplaces and close to shopping and dining. This means less time spent in the car, which saves time and gasoline, which means a more balanced life and a healthier planet. See how it all hangs together?
• Open space. We've devoted a large portion of Daybreak to parks, natural open spaces and wetlands. These certainly add to the beauty of the community and give people interesting places to gather and exercise. Buy they're also part of the system that allows Daybreak to retain 100 percent of its storm water runoff.
• A "walkable" community plan. At Daybreak, you can walk to the park, the elementary school, the community center, and so forth. Obviously this saves money, reduces pollution and, on a personal health note, burns calories. But there's a social benefit, too, because it gives you a chance to talk with your neighbor on the way to yoga or with your kids on the way to school.
• 100,000 trees. That's right. The landscape plan for Daybreak includes the planting of 100,000 trees. In parks. Along streets. Around the lake. It's going to be a very green, shady place. And it will be removing tons of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere every year.
• Ground source heating and cooling. Some of Daybreak's public buildings use a system that draws heat from the earth to reduce the need for traditional energy sources. This system was a major factor in the LEED certification for Daybreak Elementary School and Community Center.
• Transportation. In December 2006 funding was approved for the TRAX Mid-Jordan Light Rail Line, which will have two stops in Daybreak. It's another example of something that saves energy and makes life more convenient.

Learn even more. Click here to read our annual sustainability report.